Nightmare
by Harmony283
Summary: A ship sails towards the Legacy, who is on it, & how will they affect everyone once they arrive. Also, Shirley's still sick, will she get better? Meanwhile Jay is remembering bad memories of his past, and Moses isn't exactly helping. MosesJay R&R please
1. Raining

**Nightmare**

**By Harmony283**

**Summary: **It's a stormy night on the Legacy, Moses and Jay are traveling through the rain to Werites Beacon: Jay because of Will, and Moses because of Csaba. What happens when they stay at an abandoned cottage for the night, and why is Shirley in the hospital? Also, everyone thought Solon was dead…so why is he back?

**Pairings: **Moses/Jay, Senel/Shirley, Senel/Chloe, Norma/OC, and Jay/OC

**Disclaimer: **No matter how much I want to own them, I neither own Jay, nor Moses. If I did, not only would they get more cute scenes together, but you would be able to get Jay as a 'playable character' earlier in the game. **  
**

**Authors Note: **-inhale/exhale- okay then, this is my first bit of fanfiction for ToL, I got the game for Christmas, but it somehow got lost while I was cleaning, and I suddenly found it again. Right now I'm not done playing the Character Quests, I'm at the very beginning of Grune's CQ--meaning I don't know much of what happens to her, so she will be collectively absent until I'm finished playing through the game (which should be sometime either this week or early next week).

**Warnings: **Shonen-ai, and suggestive themes are ahead (in this chapter) so if you don't like, then please push the back button.

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**The Legacy; random cottage house: **

The thunder and lightning crashed outside, illuminating the inky darkness, rattling the thin framed glass windows of a small, abandoned, cottage. The wind howled threatening to blow the wooden door from its all ready worn and rusted hinges.

The insides of the cottage was dark, a single candle flickered inside its lantern, threatening to go out as the wind crawled its way through the carious imperfections of the small wooden structure. On the far side of the wall, the wall that one first sees upon entering, there were two beds covered with a thin white sheet that, if any were to take shelter in this place, wouldn't provide much relief from the elements.

Just as another flash illuminated the cloud sky, lightning dancing along the underside of the dark clouds in a brilliant light display, two figures, both shaded by the darkness, made their way towards this worn structure, obviously seeking shelter from their quickening steps across the soggy dirt pathway. Soon the first figure, who seemed to be quite tall compared to his companion, made it to the door, kicking it open with his foot before stumbling inside.

The second figure followed him in shortly after, closing the door quickly before a gust of wind could bring in the cold rain water, as well as other debris such as leaves, twigs, and blades of grass.

A few seconds of silence, rather awkward silence, passed between the two, before the taller figure spoke, his visage still hard to see in the flickering candle light, "Well I guess we're stuck here for tha night. Another flash of lightning revealed that the speaker was a man known commonly as Moses Sandor, the leader of a group of bandits. His red hair was matted down from the pounding rainfall he had just ran through, his tan skin shimmered, excess water trickling down his mostly bare chest.

"Yes, unfortunately that seems to be the case." His companion, another, slight younger boy, stated, his plum colored eyes flashing in annoyance. He reached up to untie the bands that kept his raven hair up in its usual side-ponytail, letting it fall around his shoulders before gathering it back up and squeezing the excess water out of it, or at least as much water from it as he could. He then let it fall, turning to look up at the Moses when he felt the bandits eyes on him.

"What?" then he smirked, "Don't tell me you're still scared of thunder?"

Another moment of silence, this one even more awkward, passed between the two, the only sound was the harsh pounding of rain on the roof.

"…Well, _are_ you?" Jay prodded, studying the red-heads visage, his eyes narrowing.

"No O'course not, Jay! I ain't afraid of no th—"

A flash of lightning followed by a crash of thunder caught the red-haired beast tamer off guard, causing him to jump and, because Jay just so happened to be the closest thing/person around to grab onto, he grabbed the young strategist into a tight hug.

"Moses!"

Thunder boomed outside the home of a well known man named Will Reynard the 'sort-of' mayor to Werites Beacon. This boom of thunder caused the man, as well as his daughter Harriet, to jump.

"Wow, it's getting really bad…the storm, I mean." Harriet murmured, pulling the blanket she had on tighter around her shoulders, glancing out at the pelting rain, and flashing lightning.

"Yes, this is the time of year for these storms, and since we're on the ocean it makes it even worse." Will agreed, adjusting his glasses before following Harriet's gaze out the window, "I hope Senel and Shirley are okay."

"Oh yeah, they went down to the ocean to take care of some monsters, right? Do you think Shirley'll be okay? She gets sick whenever she's around sea water…"

Will shook his head, "I hope so. Besides, I doubt Senel will let anything bad happen to—"

Just as he was about to finish his sentence, the front door burst open and, shortly after, Senel and Chloe ran in. Chloe's uniform was thoroughly soaked, her hair matted to her forehead, dripping down. Her hat was in her hand, having been clogged with so much water. Senel's hair, like Chloe's, was matted down to his forehead, his white shirt soaked through so that you could see the tan skin of his chest and stomach.

They both looked worried.

"Senel! Chloe! Where's Shirley?" Harriet asked, jumping up from the couch and rushing over to them, offering the blanket she had been wearing so that they could at least dry their hair off.

"She's…" Chloe started, taking the towel first before quickly wiping it across her face, looking over at Senel.

"She's in the hospital."

"WHAT?!?"

"H-Hey, l-let go of me!" Jay choked out, suddenly feeling panicked from Moses' reaction, _'He still seems to be afraid of thunder, or rather the sound _caused_ by the thunder.' _He thought, glaring, or at least trying to glare, at the form on top of him.

_'I wonder why he's so afraid. He said he doesn't like loud noises, but what could have caused that fear? Wait, why do I even care in the first place? He's just a stupid bandit, right?'_

But when another loud crash of thunder racked over head, Moses just gripped Jay even harder, burying his head in the crook of his neck, his breath tickling the sensitive skin there. This caused Jay to shift; unintentionally tightening Moses' embrace.

"Moses! I said _let go_!"

In an attempt to free himself from the unwanted, and highly unexpected, embrace, Jay stepped backward…

Only to find himself sprawled out on the ground a few seconds later, Moses still firmly locking him in an embrace.

_'This…feels…_very _familiar.' _The raven haired boy thought, staring up at the ceiling of the cottage. That's when it came back to him…that memory. It had been a regular training day with his former master. Jay had been exhausted, and had laid out on the grass, attempting to at least rest his eyes before his master found him. Unfortunately those 'few minutes' of rest were outlived, as his master had found him mere seconds after he had lain down.

_'My, my what do we have here? A vulnerable boy lost in the forest?' Solon mocked, grinning sadistically at Jay's weak form._

_'M-master! I--' suddenly a cloud drifted over head, causing Jay to look up. The cloud was dark, and others were quickly crowding around it. _

_'Hmm, look at that, it's going to rain soon.' And just as those words left Solons mouth, the rain began to fall._

_'It's…rain…' _

_'Yes rain.' Solon walked over to Jay, standing directly in front of him, 'and you'll get wet if you continue to sit there.' _

_'I-I don't mind.' _

_'well I do. If you get sick, you won't be able to fight. Or train. And I can't have my _favorite _apprentice sick.' _

_'I won't get sick!' _

_'What was that?' _

_Jay noticed the edge in his voice, his eyes widening in fear, 'Um…n-nothing…nothing master. You're right. I might get sick.' _

_'Then let me help you.' _

_Jay gasped as he felt his master's hands on his shoulders, pushing him down to the grass-covered ground he had been laying on. The blond haired man quickly straddled his waist, grinning down at him with the same, wide, insane grin he always had._

_'There, does that feel better?' he asked, pinning the young boys hands over his head._

_'M-Master…please…g-get…off me. You're making me feel…'_

_'Feel? You can't feel. You are not human, therefor you can not feel.' _

_'But--' _

_Solon gripped the boys wrists tightly, making the raven-haired youth flinch, 'You. Can. Not. Feel." He then bucked his hips forward, before raising himself, towering completely over his apprentice._

_'M-Master…' _

That memory…that was when Solon had first…no, it wasn't the first time that man had shown any signs of _dominance_. It was one of the times Jay hadn't noticed, and now sourly regretted it. Because he had shown Solon that he was weak, he had given up what little chance he had of escaping.

_'Heh, I was pathetic then, wasn't I? But I'm not like that now, and Moses is…Moses isn't like Solon at all. Solon is crazy, sadistic, Moses isn't. Moses is…' _

Jay shook his head, _'He isn't anything to me. But…Solon…he…why was I thinking of that time? It's not like I can do anything about it _now_. But it…he did…that was…'_

The young strategist flinched involuntarily, another boom of thunder and blast of wind making the small shelter tremble. It was just like he was, in that memory. Weak but still staying strong.

_'I am not weak. I am not…I am not like that. I can't be like that. I'm stronger than Senel is now, most likely. But I wasn't then. I didn't even do anything when Solon--' _

Jay then remember the training that he had gone through directly after that particular rainstorm.

It had been horrible, he had been so bruised that it hurt to move. But he hadn't shown it, _'All because I thought I was weak.'_

But that didn't mean that he was that strong then, either. Or else it probably wouldn't have hurt as much as it did.

Regardless, Jay still flinched at the thought of going through that training, and what it all had been for. Almost instantly, Moses seemed to back off, unhooking his arms from around the younger boys neck.

"H-heh…sorry 'bout that." The redhead muttered, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. He expected the boy under him to snap back with a witty, and hurtful, comment. But he didn't get one. He glanced down at Jay, noticing immediately the distraught look in the boys eyes.

"Jay…you look like you swallowed a bunch of crap again…"

That got the boys attention, "What?"

"Good, you looked like ya dazed off there for a second…but you…"

"I…? Well? What is it?"

"You look tense." He then looked out the window, watching as the rain slowed, and the thunder drifted into a state of just a light muffle. The storm was finally passing. He then looked back down at Jay, his face serious.

Jay shook his head, "It's nothing that you…that you…" he couldn't find the words for it.

But he didn't have, Moses already knew.

"It's nothin' that I wouldn't understand? Cuz I'm 'stupid'? C'mon now Jay! I might not be the smartest, but I ain't _that_ dumb. You can tell me."

Jay scowled, "Thanks, but no thanks, I'd rather not waste my breath." He then propped himself up on his elbows, still not liking the fact that the red-haired bandit was so close to him, but at least now he had a bit more freedom.

"Jay--" Another crash of thunder rang out overhead, the sky outside illuminating with the light from the Lightning.

_'Great, the storm really isn't over.' _

"Ahh!"

"Agh!"

Jay fell to the ground once more, as Moses grabbed onto him.

_'Now I'm starting to think he's doing this on purpose.' _

Though he wasn't quite sure whether or not it was on purpose or not, and he certainly wouldn't say anything to the man…for now. Afterwards he would probably tell him. It was certainly wonderful black mail material.

_'Well, no one ever said it was a bad thing…but still…' _

This was going to be a _long_ night.

"Yes the hospital." Senel shook his head, moving some of his wet, dripping, bangs from his eyes before walking further into the room.

"But…why? Is she hurt? Did one of the monsters attack her? Is she okay now?" Harriet asked, jumping off the couch with a worried look on her face.

Senel just sulked.

"Now, now Harriet, that's enough. Though I'm curious as well, what happened?"

"I…we…we were out near Lumen Spring, by the coast. We were battling up against a sea monster, and then it…when she tried to heal me it caused a wave, which carried her out. She was fine, but then another wave came and she swallowed some sea water."

"S-sea…water? But…but that doesn't make any sense!" Harriet was now waving her arms around, looking between Chloe and Senel.

"Yes…it doesn't. Dammit, if only I had know she was still affected by it! This is all my fault." Senel clenched his fists, shaking his head in defeat.

"Coolidge…"

Another loud boom of thunder, and another yelp and squeeze from Moses, made Jay sigh in annoyance. Why was he annoyed? Well, apart from the fact he didn't even _want _to be near the bandit, it had to deal with two things. One was that it was getting harder for him to breathe, especially since, whereas Moses seemed to have grown even taller over the past month, Jay hardly grew at all, so he was technically being crushed under the weight of the taller man. The second reason was that he was starting to feel…odd.

_'It's probably just due to the lack of oxygen' _he kept telling himself.

But a feeling told him that wasn't the case. He didn't understand it, and it, to say the least, scared him. Not that he was going to admit that to the bandit, but when he felt scared, he wanted to get as far away from that danger as he possibly could. And the only way to do that was to try and get Moses off him once more.

"M-Moses! G-Get off me!" he really hadn't meant to stutter, and yet he did. But to emphasize his point, he started to squirm, which, thankfully, got Moses' attention. He raised his head, still shaking, and gave the young strategist a confused look.

"Jay?"

When his name was voice it just made him feel even weirder. He squirmed even more, looking away from the man now straddling his waist.

"Jay?" Moses asked again, now thoroughly confused. Yes he knew Jay was uncomfortable, that was just plain noticeable. But the fact that he wasn't yelling, and that he wasn't responding verbally had him worried.

He sighed, calling out the boy's name once more. Though this time he received an answer.

"Just.Get.Off" Jay tried to keep his gaze away from Moses, trying to think of something more pleasant than his current position…and the rising fear and strange-ness coursing through his body. If Moses didn't move, he was afraid of what he might do to him.

"But…you don't look so good. Are ya feelin' sick?" It was lame, and Moses knew it. But he had to know what was bugging Jay.

But to Jay, it seemed that that was an…accurate description of what he was feeling.

_'Yes, I must be feeling sick. That's the only way I can think of describing it.'_

"It's that Solon guy, isn't it?"

Jay flinched, making it known that yes, Moses, the ever stupid bandit that now didn't seem all that stupid, was right.

When the younger teen didn't answer, Jay sighed again, "Don't lie to me Jay. Y'all know I hate when someone lies…especially you." He paused, the look in his eyes changing from fear and worry, to some other, softer emotion, "And ya know I'll listen, and that I'll protect ya always…right Jay?"

"D-Don't make promises you can't keep." Jay stated, shaking his head from side to side.

Moses smirked, noticing the red hue the normally pale boy's face was taking, "Are ya embarrassed?"

Jay turned to him and glared, "NO!"

"Oh? But yer face is red."

Jay just blinked, "What?"

_'Am I really blushing…? I can't tell…' _

Moses seemed to have read his mind, and so he placed a hand on his cheek, making the raven-haired boy painfully aware of how warm his face was. This caused him to look away.

"Heh, you're so cute sometimes."

"Wh-Whatever…just get of me, please." It nearly killed his pride to say please, especially when he knew Moses probably wouldn't get off him, and probably wouldn't any time soon. Because that was Moses and Moses loved to annoy Jay…or was it the other way around?

_'I can't tell anymore…'_

When he looked back up at the red-haired beast tamer, he noticed the thoughtful expression on his face, "Hmm, _well_, it must be pretty serious if yer sayin' please." He seemed to pause, looking back down at Jay, before getting up.

_'He actually did what I asked him to…'_

Jay watched as Moses walked over to one of the beds, sitting down on the edge of it. This made him sigh in relief. He stood up slowly, then began to walk past the bandit towards the other bed.

But he wasn't quick enough, and Moses grabbed his shoulder. It wasn't a firm hold, and Jay could've easily slipped out of it. But he didn't. Instead he looked towards the older boy with an annoyed expression on his face, "What is it?" he paused to listen as the thunder outside was reduced to a mere rumble, "the thunder stopped, you don't--hey!"

Moses had jerked him forward, so that now their faces were mere inches apart. This caused Jay to feel even more uncomfortable than before.

"You're soakin' wet. And you _know_ you'll catch a cold you--"

Jay slipped his hand overtop Moses', taking it off his shoulder. When the bandit tried to reach for him again, Jay slapped his hand away, "I'll be fine. And I'd rather we get to Werites Beacon…Will called me there after all." He stopped, contemplating on if he should really say what had just come into his mind, but then again, he didn't really care if this hurt the bandit or not, so he did, "Also…I honestly don't want to spend another night with just you."

"Hey!"

Jay smirked, "And I _especially_ don't want to hear anymore of what you say in your sleep." He watched in amusement as Moses' face turned from one of hatred, to shock, to embarrassment.

"H-Hey! I d-don't…"

"Yes you do."

"Uh, heh, I-I never knew…" he said, laughing nervously as well as scratching the back of his head.

Jay crossed his arms over his chest, turning away from the red-haired man, "Hmph, well you should be glad that I'm the only one who's heard it…"

_'Even if it just makes me feel even stranger…around you…especially now…' _

Suddenly the bed creaked, and Moses stood up.

"Wha--?" Jay turned his head, wondering what Moses was doing, but was stopped, not by an action, but from the bandits voice.

"Don't turn around." His voice was gentle, and yet it was forceful, like an order. An order that Jay, for some reason or another, felt complied to follow.

"M-Moses?"

"He felt fingers run through his hair, "So you're keepin' your hair down?"

"It'll never dry if I put it up again."

"Heh, well, I like it this way. An' it won't dry if we continue on so let's…"

"But--!"

"I know whatever Will called ya for is important, but it--"

"It can't wait! Not only does Will need to tell me something but I…Shirley…"

"Shirley? What about Shirley?" Moses questioned, looking at the backside of Jay, who still hadn't turned around. He thought it over for a few seconds, of what exactly the strategist could mean. And then it hit him, "Wait…don't tell me Solon wants her? I mean, I heard he wasn't dead like we thought, so…"

Jay's shoulders dropped, making Moses worry…worry that he was right. He had silently hoped that Solon was dead, that the murders that had gone on in the past month had been from monsters, or at least from someone else.

But if it did have anything to do with Solon…

_'What is that guy up to? Don't tell me he's gonna force Jay into helpin' him again. Jay wouldn't fall for that again, would he?'_

There was only one way to find out, and that was to ask.

"Jay, has Solon contacted you _at all_ this past month?"

"…"

"Jay!" Moses squeezed his shoulders.

"He…"

"He what? What did he do?" Moses asked, his grip tightening, "Tell Me."

"He…" Jay shook his head, swallowing audibly, "He came for a visit."

That was _very_ vague.

_'Not that I was expecting a straight forward answer from 'im anyway.' _

"And how did it go?"

Jay tensed, "How do you _think_ it went?" he then turned around to face Moses, not even moving away when he noticed just how close they were.

All the while Moses just stared at him, trying to read his emotions. But his face showed none; it was as blank as it had been back when Solon first appeared before them.

"What did he do to you?" the bandit asked, his voice barely above a whisper, and yet it seemed to have more of an affect on Jay, who suddenly looked like he was about to cry.

But he wouldn't cry. That would make Moses worry about him. And if Moses worried about him then that would make it twice as bad if Solon ever did find out. Jay was used to the punishment, but Moses wasn't. And even though he was a 'stupid bandit' Jay still couldn't find it in himself to let him go through that kind of pain.

_'Besides, it's not like Solon wants to kill me. He even _said_ that he didn't want to. Heh, he'll probably just bring me close to death…just to make me scared…just to make me suffer. Heh, that's a depressing thought.' _

Jay sighed, slipping his hand into his pocket, searching for the knife he always had hidden there. He always felt like he needed it whenever the subject of Solon was brought up. He found the cool bladed, and pulled it out, squeezing it as he did so.

He flinched, but made no move to drop the knife.

"Jay…?" Moses noticed the knife, and a wave of discomfort passed through him. He would never forget when Jay had used him as a 'practice dummy'. But then he noticed a bit of crimson on the edge of the blade facing the boy's hand.

"Wait…your hand! Jay you cut your hand!"

"What?" Jay glanced down at his hand again, "So?"

"You…gimme that!" Moses snatched the knife out of Jay's hand, throwing it onto the bed, "And don't you _dare_ touch one of 'em until…"

"Until what? I'm fine. I didn't even mean to do that." Jay replied coldly, closing his eyes and looking away from the older bandit.

"Really? You ain't gonna up and do it again?"

Jay shook his head; "No I'm not going to do it again. It's just…it happens whenever I think about Solon now, or at least ever since I realized I hadn't killed him."

"Well that ain't no way to act, cuttin' yerself I mean."

"I didn't mean I do _that_."

_'Or did I? It was an accident, I just grabbed my knife wrong.' _

"I just grabbed my knife wrong."

"And since when did you ever do that?"

Jay paused, _'He does have a point--' _

He couldn't even finish that single thought before he felt himself being turned around and being pulled into an embrace…a very _tight_ embrace.

"H-Hey! L-let go…!"

"Nuh-uh, not yet."

"But--"

"not…yet…"

Something in Moses' voice changed, making the odd feeling Jay had had earlier come back in full force. It also made him quickly comply, leaning his head on the older boys tan chest, sighing in defeat.

"I'm fine…I'll _be_ fine." Senel shook his head, "I just…Shirley wanted us to tell you about it."

"Yes, Alcott and Elsa are both looking into why the salt-water is affecting her again." Chloe said, shaking her head, "It shouldn't affect her anymore should it?"

Will nodded his head, "Yes, after she became the Merines, it shouldn't have affected her at all. It didn't when she saved you, did it?" he turned to face Senel, who just nodded.

"Yeah, she dove right in and saved me. And she didn't even get sick."

"Yes, so the question really is why it's--"

"EVERYONE!" a loud, very familiar, girl cried out, making everyone in the room jump.

The front door banged open, and there, standing in the doorway was a very saturated looking Norma with a scary expression on her face.

"N-Norma…? What are you doing here?" Chloe asked, her hand over her heart, staring at the brunette with her eyes wide.

"It's…It's…Ninja's! A-And So-So! I saw them…I saw them near the Forest of No Return…and they were looking for JJ!" she waved her arms frantically, looking both worn out and hysterical.

"But Jay's not here," Senel pointed out, then after a second of thought he continued, "Actually, I have no idea where he--or Moses--is." He shook his head, "Thankfully they won't be anywhere near the Forest of No Return…but then again, they could just as easily go through the duct…"

Will sighed loudly, "This isn't good…"

"Teach?" Norma cocked her head to the side cutely, "What's up with you? You look like you swallowed a bug."

Will sighed again, "No Norma, I did not swallow a bug. It's…I…"

Norma caught on, "Don't tell me, you invited Jay here? What about the Ninja's? Senny's right ya know! They could just as easily take the duct like any sane person would! Not that So-So's sane…but still! Do you have any idea how far he is now?"

Will shook his head, "No I don't, and the fact that there's a storm makes me even more unsure."

"Well do you know where Red is? Or is he not coming here?"

"Oh he's definitely coming, Csaba came here a few days ago."

"Do you think it's a possibility that they ran into each other?" Chloe asked, folding her arms and shaking.

"There is a possibility…though whether or not that would be a good thing or not…" he trailed off, shaking his head from side to side.

"You're right. Those two never get along."

"Yeah, and the fact that's it's thunderin' an' all…and we _all_ know Red _hates_ thunder."

Almost as soon as those words left Norma's mouth, everyone had the same thought.

_'Poor Jay…' _

Norma then promptly collapsed on the ground, letting out a long tired sigh, which drew everyone's attention to her once more.

"Norma? Are you okay?" Harriet asked, walking over to her and bending down.

"Nn…I just know I'm gonna miss somethin' good…"

"What?"

Norma looked around at everyone, a 'I know something you don't know' look on her face, "You mean you don't know? Hello! What do two guys do when they're alone together?"

"Get in a fight?"

"Break something?"

"Nope! And I'm not talkin' about regular guys! I'm just saying what would Red and JJ do, more like Red force JJ to do, when they're completely alone?"

"Get in a fight?"

"I agree with Senel, they would probably fight."

Norma rolled her eyes, "Oh come _on_! Senny, C, you're so dense!"

"I am not!" they both cried out in unison.

"Yes you are! This is Red we're talking about," she threw her hands forward, as if for emphasis, but getting confused stares from them in return.

"Grr…Teach! You know what I'm talkin' about don't you?"

Will coughed uncomfortably, "Norma…get your head out of the gutter. NOW"

"Out of the…? Oh!" Chloe's face immediately turned red, as she realized exactly what Norma had meant.

Senel just continued looking confused.

"But…but I'm right aren't I? Even C gets it now! Don't'cha C?"

Chloe shook her head, "I…yes I know what you mean but…"

"but nothin'! I really wanna know what happens! I mean, come on! Those two are probably getting--OUCH!" she was cut off by a particularly hard whack on the head by none other than Will himself.

"That's enough Norma."

"I still…don't get it. What could Moses get Jay to do that he does want to do?"

"Ah, I'll make this as simple as I can, Senny," Norma stated, jumping up and leaning on the Alliance Marine's shoulder, acting like nothing ever happened.

"O-okay."

"Let's just say that Red wants to be more than friends with JJ."

Senel seemed to get it now, "What? You mean…but they don't like each other that way! I mean they fight all the time…there's no way. You must be kidding…"

"But I'm _not…_and haven't you ever heard the term 'you always hurt the ones you love'? That term so _perfectly_ fits those two." Norma then started to giggle, and it wasn't until Will tugged her away, giving her another bonk on the head, that she shut up.

"Aww…Teach you're so mean!" she cried out, once more falling onto the ground.

Will just shook his head, "Like I was saying, they probably will run into each other…but if I had known Solon wasn't back on the main land I would've gone to get Jay myself."

"But that would just _ruin_ their perfect moment together!" Norma whined, waving her arms in the air once more.

"No it wouldn't."

"Well it _would_ ruin whatever 'moment' they would be having if you barged in." Harriet butted in, feeling slightly sorry for the yellow clad brunette, who was looking quite dejected at the moment.

"Harriet! Go to your room!"

"But--"

"No buts."

"Grr…fine." Harriet turned and stomped up the stairs.

"Like I was saying, I should have gone to get him myself, because I highly doubt either of them are in fit condition to fight Solon."

"Yeah…Jay, well, from what Shirley told us he couldn't even fight back against him. That and she told us what he did to him back in Mirage palace."

Senel nodded his head, "Yeah, it's hard to believe…"

"And we only know half of it. I mean, yeah Shirl said he beat him, but he could've done a lot worse." Norma murmured, shaking her head.

"Yeah." Chloe, Senel, and Will nodded their heads in agreement.

"By the way…where is Shirl anyway? Wasn't she with you Senel?"

Everyone just stared at the brunette, who looked back at them, confused, "What?"

"She's in the hospital."

"Oh, okay. Wait, what? Why?!?"

"Saltwater"

"But I thought--"

Chloe sighed, "We did too."

"But it seems she's allergic to it again…and…I should be getting back." Senel turned to leave, but Chloe placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned to face her, "What is it?"

"We'll go too."

A comfortable, if not slightly awkward, silence filled the room as Moses refused to break the embrace. Jay couldn't believe he was just _letting_ this happen. But it would be even more embarrassing to break the silence, than for it to just die off on its own.

He would never admit it, but he was starting to like the embrace. The odd feeling it made him have earlier was now dissipating, a warm feeling replacing it. He felt like he could just fall asleep in the bandit's arms. Not that Moses was likely to mind, it was the very thought that Moses was, well, Moses, that Jay didn't trust himself to fall asleep in front of him.

Who knew what that guy could do?

Jay felt himself being pulled closer and then he felt Moses lay his head on top of his own, sighing softly. It looked like he was enjoying the embrace just as much.

_'Well he _is_ the one who initiated it in the first place.' _Not that that made any difference. The embrace was obviously for comforting Jay, but it seemed to have a comforting affect on the beast tamer as well.

"Ya know…I never though huggin' you would be this much fun."

Jay blinked, "What?"

Moses cupped the side of his face in his hand; "It's fun…I like huggin' you." He said this slowly, as if testing the words like he would soup that could be poisoned.

"…You…have an odd definition of fun." Jay's eyes narrowed, "But I can think of worse."

"Heh, yeah. Solon…he…you still feel scared 'round him don't cha?"

"S-some what…"

"Come on now, lil' brother, don't lie to me."

"But I'm not--"

"He makes ya scared whenever you're around him, don't he?"

Jay looked down at the ground, or what he could see of it since Moses still held him, "M-Maybe…"

"Jay."

"Okay fine yes I get scared whenever I'm around him. How can I not?"

"Ya know you can't be afraid of him forever. That just means ya haven't changed a bit."

"But I HAVE changed!" Jay snapped back. Then he stopped and looked away, "Or at least I _hope _I've changed. I don't want to go back to the way I…the way I was."

Moses stepped back, inspecting the boy, "You ain't sure?"

Jay shook his head; "No I'm not sure. Whenever I'm around him I'm afraid. Whenever I see him I'm not sure if I can continue being the way I am. And now Will's called me to Werites Beacon, and Solon will probably be there as well…and he…he wants…!"

The raven-haired strategist shook his head violently, and Moses would be lying if he said he didn't have any tears in those plum colored eyes of his. But the fact that Jay looked so unnerved startled him.

"He?"

Jay leaned against Moses, "He took it."

"T-Took what?" Moses wrapped his arms around the boys small frame, "He took what?"

"My…my…bell."

"Bell?"

"He took my bell!"

This took a moment for the beast tamer to register it, but when it did he immediately knew what Jay was talking about.

"The bell? You mean the one you had when you…?"

Jay nodded his head, fighting back the now overwhelming urge to cry, "Y-Yes, the bell…the only thing I had of my parents…my real family. And he took it. Even now, when I was just about to start researching what type of bell it was, and…and where it's from…"

Tears suddenly started to fall, and Jay quickly wiped them away, "B-But I-I don't really think I should…start looking…because I don't think they're alive anyway."

"Don't say that Jay! If ya say that then, well, don't ever give up hope! You're my lil' bro! I'll help ya look for your family, and I'm sure Senel and the others'll help too!"

Jay hiccuped, wiping at his eyes again, "Y-yeah…but even if…even if they're alive the may not want me."

Moses wrapped his arms around his 'lil brother' and just held him for a few minutes.

"I told ya, don't think like that!"

"But it might be true."

"And if it is, if it is know that you've _always_ go family…right here."

"But--"

"And ya got someone who cares for ya right in front a ya."

Jay flushed, leaning his head back against Moses' chest, "I-I…thank you…Moses."

And that's the end of Chapter One. And, well, if there's one thing I'll say about this it's that this was one of the hardest pieces of Fanfiction I've ever done. It's not so much the fact that they're hard characters to write about, it's just that I've been struggling with writer's block for about a week, and this is my way to get out of it (this is also the first thing I'm uploading since we've had computer problems). Okay then, Flames are unwanted, CC is welcome and reviews, well, I love them and they make me happy/want to update, so yeah, please R&R!


	2. Raining Part II

**Nightmare: Chapter Two**

**By Harmony283**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of the characters in ToL, I only own the plot and the OC's that appear in this fanfic, so please don't steal them.

**Authors Note: **Well here's Chapter two, and yet again, this was just as hard as the last chapter. Unlike last chapter, which started out with Jay and Moses, this one starts with the meeting of the two OC's appearing in this fanfic. Though one of the OC's had to go through a gender change, since that seemed more natural IMO. -cough- now then, on with the chapter…

**Warning(s): **Language and whatever else was warned in the last chapter.

**--------------------------------------**

**Cruise ship off the coast of the Legacy:**

The waves lapped roughly against the sides of the cruise ship, the wind caressing its sails as it made its way towards its destination: the Legacy. Thunder rumbled overhead and the clouds darkened in pretense to a storm. As the ship began to rock in the churning waves and the clouds began to pelt the wooden deck with its salty tears, one door opened.

A young woman of about twenty two stepped out onto the slick deck, gripping the railing for support as she made her way to the bow of the ship. Her face was hidden by a large, white cloak, which blew in the wind, whipping at her legs violently. From what could be seen, it appeared that she was wearing some type of blue dress, and her skin was extremely pale.

The woman sighed softly, staring out at the foggy visage of the ships destination, her eyes, which were the only thing visible beneath the shadow of the hood, showed a kind of sadness in their cerulean blue depths. She sighed again, clenching the railing even tighter.

She bowed her head, as if in prayer, "Please, Nerifes let him be here," she choked up, "This is the only place left to look. If he isn't here then…then that really must mean…that they were lying to me…"

The sound of another door opening and closing made her look up. She whirled around at the sound of pounding footsteps on the slick wood of the deck, followed by an audible 'thump' and a loud cry.

The figure of a boy, no older than thirteen, could be seen sliding across the deck floor, flat on his face. He skidded until he reached a particularly thick piece of rope, which lay strewn across the deck obviously moved there by the rocking of the boat, and the wind.

The boy sighed loudly and sat up, rubbing his nose before standing up on shaky legs. He then made his way over to the older woman in a similar fashion, gripping onto the railing and staring down at the raging sea with great dislike apparent on his face.

When he reached her he ran his fingers through his slightly damp, silver hair and grinned awkwardly, "You know, you should have told me you were up." He stated before quickly turning away, his hands momentarily clenching and unclenching the railing in front of him.

The woman sighed, "Well I could have, but you looked like you were enjoying your sleep."

This caused the boy to flush and grip the railing even tighter. He looked away before he spoke, "But it's my job to protect you."

But he didn't sound too confident about saying those particular words.

The woman shook her head, "But you can't protect me if you haven't been getting enough sleep." The woman placed a hand overtop the boy's gloved one, causing him to look up at her, "Besides, you're still young. Your uniform is still big on you."

The boy turned away once more, an annoyed expression now on his face, "B-But I'm proud to wear my Gardoria uniform!" then he looked down, "Even if…I'm in the lowest class…" he sighed softly, leaning his chin on the top of the railing, though quickly straightening up as another boom of thunder crashed somewhere close by.

The woman shook her head, staring out at the ocean, "Yes that may be true. But they have confidence in that you'll do your job well." She turned back to face the boy, smiling sweetly, "And I have confidence in you as well. So don't make me loose that confidence by hearing you talk like that."

The boy blinked, his grey-blue eyes widening as the woman spoke those words. He then smiled, looking up at the darkening grey clouds over head, "Well, if you think I'll do okay, then I guess I will."

A gentle breeze rushed by, ruffling his hair. He closed his eyes, a gentle smile forming on his lips, "The breeze feels nice."

He then opened his eyes, staring once more out at the foggy ocean surrounding them, "but it feels like…it's going to rain…again."

A moment of silence passed between the two, and not too far off the sounds of seagulls could be heard, flying overhead unseen through the ever thickening fog. The waves started churning once again, lapping at the sides of the boat, rocking it back and forth. The smell of both saltwater, and rain filtered through the air.

The woman blinked and looked up at the sky, "Yes…it does feel like it's going to rain."

----------------------------------

As soon as those words left her mouth, a particularly harsh gust of wind rushed at them, causing the hood of her cloak to fall. Her light blond hair, which was placed up in a loose bun, whipped around her face, threatening to come out of the band holding it in place.

The boy groaned, "Yeah…it's going to rain…and it's not going to be pleasant." he turned to face the woman, concern showing on his face, "And you really shouldn't go around without your hood up."

The woman smiled and nodded her head, pulling the hood up to hide her face once more, "Yes Feral, I know," she looked up at the sky for a final time, before closing her eyes and redoing the clasp that held her hood firmly in place.

"It really does…feel like it's going to rain."

The door to the Hospital swung open, letting in both cold rainwater, and other debris. Senel, Chloe, Norma and Will ran in just as another flash of lightning illuminated the sky. Sitting in a chair near the front door to the hospital was Elsa. She jumped up when she saw them, rushing over and handing them some towels that she had had in her lap.

"Are you okay?" She asked, handing each of them a towel.

"Y-Yeah, thanks." Senel took the towel and quickly dried off his hair, which was yet again matted down to his forehead, causing water to drip in his eyes, "Do you…do you know how Shirley's doing?"

Elsa shook her head, "Father's looking into it now." She looked down at the ground sadly, "I wanted to help, but he said it was too dangerous."

Chloe shook her head, "Then it probably was. He would be devastated if you were to get sick again," she smiled, placing a wet hand on the girls shoulder, "But it's the thought that counts, right?"

Senel smiled and nodded his head, "Yeah, Chloe's right, thanks."

Else flushed at the praise, bowing her head deeply, "Th-thank you…!" she straightened up and looked at each of them, "But I really…really wanted to…do more," she shook her head, "But that's besides the point, right? How are you all feeling?"

Norma shook her head, "How fine _can_ we feel with all this rain? And it's cold…and of course we're sopping wet, how do you think we feel?"

Everyone just stared at her after she said this. And she stared right back.

"What?"

Will walked up so that he was standing right next to her, he lifted his hand, balling it up into a fist, and hit her on the head.

"Ouch! Hey Teach that was mean!" the brunette cried out, waving her arms from side to side, resembling a bird.

"Yes but it was necessary. I think we all know how we feel. But no one said we had to voice it."

"But it's true!"

"Dad's…dad's…right…" a familiar voice stated from the doorway.

Everyone turned around to face the doorway and they gasped, "Harriet?"

"Didn't I tell you to stay in your room?"

Harriet shook her head, fixing her hair pin, "Yeah but I wanna…I wanna see Shirley too…"

"Speaking of which can we even _see_ Shirl?"

"Norma…"

"What? Oh no, don't hit me again Teach…I mean…I'm right again, right?"

Will just bonked her on the head again, shaking his head from side to side, "Watch what you say. Do I even _need_ to tell you that?"

"Well I was just _curious_! And like C said! Shirl's our friend, and they won't even let us see her now! And after we came all the way here too!" she waved her arms back and forth, resembling a Peepit(sp?) who had lost the ability to fly.

And almost as soon as she had started this act, she stopped.

"Ahem."

Everyone turned to face a woman dressed in white with sun-drenched blond hair and sapphire eyes. She was obviously one of the many nurses that worked in the hospital because of her attire. She wore a white button up blouse, the tradition triangular hat that one in the medical field wore, a stethoscope hung around her neck and a brown clipboard with various papers clipped to it in her hands.

She also had a single ring, a pearl ring, on the ring finger of her right hand. And she looked annoyed. She squeezed the clipboard tighter and walked forward.

"May I ask _why_ you're making so much noise?" She asked, tilting her head to the side, curly locks of blond falling over her shoulder.

"We--" Senel started

"I--" Norma tried to start, but shut her mouth as the womans harsh gaze fell on her.

"This is a hospital you know? Please keep it down. Yes I know it's raining but if there really isn't a reason for you being here, then I suggest you leave. And Elsa," she turned to face the brunette, who hid behind Chloe, "You really shouldn't be up and walking around. Remember what happened the last time you overexerted yourself?"

"I-I know but…"

"Excuse me," Senel stepped forward, "But is there any way we can see Shirley Fennes?"

The nurse blinked confused, she looked down at her clipboard and then back up at the white haired Alliance Marine, "well she is here…but why do you want to see her?"

"We--"

"She isn't taking any visitors now. The doctor's aren't even sure what's wrong with her."

"Wha--" Senel clenched his fists, "What?"

Chloe saw this and stepped forward, "Ah, we're…we're friends of Shirley, is there any way at all that we could see her?"

The woman once more tilted her head to the side, this time in the opposite direction, "I…can't say…for sure, but I can take you to the room she's in."

She turned and walked past them, pausing at the stairs before turning back to look at them. She seemed slightly startled now, "But why would you want to see the Marines?"

"I said before, we're her friends."

"Is that a problem?" Senel cut in, stepping towards the nurse.

"Ah, no, it's…not…it's…come, it's up these stairs…" She turned around quickly and made her way up the stairs, seeming almost nervous.

Everyone watched her climb a few steps before following her. The last two to follow were Will and Norma.

"Jeez…it looks like _someone_ has some issues."

Will shook his head, "But you do realize it's mostly your fault, right Norma?"

Norma shook her head, "Yeah well, she didn't have to go all uppity on us, besides, no one's stayin' here besides C, Ellie, and Arnie, she's just over reacting."

Will shook his head, "And how would _you_ know if anyone else stayed here?"

"You mean I can just _ignore_ all the empty rooms in this place like they didn't exist? Now let's hurry up! We're gonna miss seein' Shirl' if we hang around here too long…and sorry I won't help an old man up the stairs."

And she was soundly conked on the head again.

"I am _not_ an old man. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

Norma groaned, "Whatever Teach."

They then walked up the stairs towards were the main hospital rooms were.

--------------------------------------

"But Jay!" Moses called out, chasing after the younger teen through the pelting rain. A minutes later, and Moses was left, panting, his hands on his knees, keeled over. He looked back up long enough to see a blur of purple ahead. He shook his head, pushing his wet bangs out of his only good eye, calling out, "Jay…slow down!"

He watched helplessly as the purple clad boy ran farther and farther away from him, "Dammit," he clenched his fist, "Maybe I was a lil' _too_ forward…"

FLASHBACK (20 minutes ago)

The candle flickered in the lone room, dangerously close to going out due to the howling wind outside--close to leave the two teen's in utter darkness. The rain picked up, pelting down on the roof of the small cottage, the only sound between the two males was gentle breathing.

Until, of course, Jay shivered.

Moses looked down at him, smiling gently, "Are ya still cold Jay?" he asked, squeezing the boy tighter, causing him to gasp.

"I--yes, I suppose I am." Jay muttered, looking away from the redhead.

"Well then this," Moses gently tugged at one of the saturated sleeves of the ex-assassins outfit, "should come off."

Jay glared up at him, a hint of annoyance in his tired violet eyes, "And I said no." His voice was cold and he pulled away from the beast-tamers embrace, "Besides, I don't see how taking _off_ my clothes would make me feel any warmer…or better." He crossed his arms over his chest, shivering once more.

Moses grinned, "A'course it'll help! Especially since you won't feel much better keepin' them on." He looked over at the beds, "And it's not like we ain't got nothin' warm to sleep in."

Jay flushed, "'we'?"

Moses nodded his head, his grin widening, "Yup! The best way to keep warm is to sleep together an' share body heat!"

Jay's face flushed even more, "There is no way I would sleep with you."

The redhead's face soured, "Aww c'mon Jay! You can't hate me _that_ much…can you?" he added the last part with a bit of uncertainty, eyeing the boy to see what his reaction would be.

The only reaction he received, though, was a very loud sigh, "I can try can't I?" Jay stated, shaking his head from side to side.

Moses' face fell, but he perked up immediately, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "Fine then, I'll just have tat show you how warm you'll be!"

Before Jay could even form a single word--or even make a noise of protest against the older male's actions--Moses had gripped him by his shoulders and proceeded to push him down on the nearest bed.

"AH! Moses what the--w-what are you…?" he blushed and watched helplessly as Moses crawled over him, tugging his shirt up, causing some water to seep out onto his already wet skin.

The bandit made quick work of the golden neck-brace, tossing it somewhere off to the side, making a clanking sound as it hit the floor. He then pushed the hem of the purple, quite large, shirt up even more, grinning as Jay's face reddened at the action.

"See you're warmer already." Moses stated, placing a hand on the pale boy's cheek, feeling the warmth of the blush there, a soft smile on his lips.

"B-but Moses…" Jay tried, looking away even more forcefully than he had a few seconds ago.

The bandit studied the boy's pose for a second, examining his clothing closely, watching how it stuck to his body.

"Hmm."

Jay turned to face him a confused look on his face, "Wh-what…?"

"Life your head."

Jay's eyes widened, "WHAT?"

Moses shook his head, "I can't get your shirt off." He said, making a point to tug at the hem of the strategist's shirt.

Jay's eyes widened as he realized exactly what Moses was trying to do. He started to struggle, "H-Hey! Stop! No!"

He brought his knee up; hitting the bandit where he _knew_ it would hurt.

And it worked.

Moses quickly jumped off the bed, staggering backwards and glaring at the younger boy.

Jay sat up, grabbing his neck-brace from off the floor and slipping it on, straightening his shirt before jumping off the side of the bed. He ran over to the door and opened it, causing rainwater and wind to come into the small room.

Moses watched as the raven-haired boy ran out into the rain, wincing as he tried to stand, "Jay!" he cried out helplessly flinching as the sound of thunder resonated through the room and the air outdoors.

A particularly strong gust if wind swept through the room, picking up the sheets of one of the bed, and rattling the old set of chairs in one corner of the room.

The candle went out.

FLASHBACK END

Moses sighed dejectedly, "Yeah, I think I _did_ go a lil' fast for 'im…"

Meanwhile Jay continued running, his raven hair flying behind him, the rain blurring his vision. But he had to wonder…was it really rain?

Or was it tears?

Jay slowed down, breathing hard, he then looked up at the sky, letting the rain fall down on him, soaking through his still saturated clothing even more. He touched his cheek with a shaking hand.

_'So I really _am_ crying.' _He thought to himself, feeling the warm tear slide down his cheek.

"B-But why?" he whispered, "Why?"

He fell to his knees, not caring that he was cold, not caring that a monster could possibly attack him…

A crunching sound could be heard from not too far off, the ground quaked as an unseen monster made it's way towards the unsuspecting Jay. Though the boy did suspect it, or at least he had felt the tremor beneath his feet, looking up and in the direction of where the monster was coming from.

And there, standing not too far off, was a Lion Giet.

Jay just stared until the monster moved towards him, the ground quaking underneath with each massive step it took. It was like Jay to be scared, but for some reason he couldn't move, and his hand was still bleeding from earlier. That, of course, meant he couldn't fight with his dominant hand. But that didn't mean he was _completely _incapable of protecting himself.

_'And there's no way that stupid bandit could catch up to me…not that I want his help or anything.'_ Jay thought, shaking his head from side to side, _'He's the last person I'd ask help from…and yet…and yet he's always the first to ask if I need help…'_

Jay shook his head violently, moving plastered wet hair away from his cheek; _'Just because he's the first to offer doesn't mean anything.'_

He glanced up warily at the monster. It didn't appear to be moving, but whether or not that was a good thing, Jay couldn't tell. He examined it as best he could from his position on the ground, trying to find a wound that could be impairing its movements.

But he didn't find one.

He sighed softly to himself then, deciding that it was best to try and move instead of look like dead or wounded prey. He tried to stand but fell back onto the ground. The monster took another step forward, seemingly grinning at Jay's show of weakness. Soon it was right in front of him, and Jay still couldn't move. He watched in silent horror as the monster roared, wishing he could cover his ears. The monster turned its attention back to him, and seemed to smirk. It opened its mouth, taking in a big gulp of air…

_'This isn't good…it's going to attack me, and I doubt I can last long…especially since I can't even move.'_

Suddenly, a few seconds before the monster was to release its attack, a spear came flying through the air. It hit the monster; square in the head, sticking there with the pointy end halfway imbedded in the monster's skin. It cried out in agony, lashing about while Jay tried to stand for the third time.

He was about to fall again, when he felt an arm wrap around his waist, catching him and steadying him.

"You okay, lil' bro?" Moses asked, his voice gentle.

Jay turned away, "How can you call me that after what you just did?" he asked, his face tinted red. It would seem almost selfish to ask that, because honestly he could be making a big deal over nothing…but this was _Moses_. And if Jay knew anything about Moses…he was right in saying those few words…right in knowing that the bandit had wanted to do something less-than-appropriate to him.

All the while Moses just blinked. His eyes then softened and he cupped the boy's cheek in a callused hand, turning it so that they were facing each other. He then ran his thumb over the boy's bottom lip.

Jay's eyes widened at this and he finally complied, turning his gaze towards the redhead. His eyes moved over him, trying to read his expression. Moses smiled as he did this, not saying a word.

"What…what do you…want from me?" Jay managed to stutter out, confusion, and yet knowingness written on his face, showing in his eyes.

His face reddened as the space between them lessened.

"One thing," Now Moses was mere centimeters away from Jay, he leaned down, placing Jay on his knees, watching as the boy's plum colored eyes widened. He leaned in, whispering in his ear, "A kiss."

Jay wanted to move, to tell Moses no. But he couldn't speak, and his leg's felt cemented to the ground beneath him. All he could do was sit there, on his knees, fisting the ends of his sleeves all while leaning against the bandits arm for support.

Rough fingers made their way under his chin, tilting his face upwards, causing Jay to take in a sharp breath. He closed his eyes, as if trying to shut out what was about to happen…how his body was reacting.

But with the closing of his eyes, another image appeared; this one of a similar situation…except for with a different person…and a different time…

_An eleven-year-old Jay ran through a darkened hallway, fear evident on his face. His clothing was wet and torn in places, and various scratches, some still bleeding, littered his face and hands. _

_He suddenly stopped; backing up as a figure made it's way towards him. It was a man…it was Solon._

_'Oh my, Jay, how obedient of you, running home right after training,' his eyes scanned the boy's figure, 'I see it must not have been a good training session, neh?'_

_Jay shook his head, 'No…sir…it was…okay. These are from running through the woods.' _

_Solon smirked, 'Ah, I see. Hmm, that's good,' he moved to where he was standing right in front of the boy, he quickly turned and shoved him into the wall, 'I would be _worried_ if the training was too rough.' He cupped the boy's face in his equally as pale hands._

_'M-Master…? What are you…?'_

_'Shh, Jay, don't worry, I won't hurt you…' the man brought his face closer, his grin never leaving, 'And I _do_ love it when you call me Master…' _

_'Ma--mmph!' _

_Solon's lips fell on the younger boy's own, pressing him even harder into the wall. The kiss lasted for only a few seconds, but when Solon pulled away, Jay was shaking, breathing hard._

_'Now Jay…come with me.' Solon turned away from the raven-haired boy, walking a few feet down the way he had come. _

_'M-Master…why…?'_

_Solon looked over his shoulder at the boy, 'Hmm, I wonder as well. A boy like you doesn't know a thing about love,' He smirked, 'But I'm willing to give you some…now come, and don't ask anymore questions.' _

Jay shuddered as the memory passed, but he kept his eyes closed. He was worried though, about the sudden memories flooding back. Those memories that he had sworn to tuck away, to forget even though he knew it was impossible.

_'But why is Moses…why am I thinking of Solon so much now? I got away from him just fine…I really did. Why can't I just _stop_ thinking about him? Especially around Moses…' _

He felt Moses hesitate, and almost scowled. Moses really did know, in a certain way or another, how to make someone annoyed. The fact that he had initiated this and yet seemed to not know what to do…

_'Who am I kidding, I know more than he does…probably even more about what to do now than he does. But I'm sure he…doesn't want to hurt me…' _

Jay paused in his thought, mentally slapping himself, _'Wait, what am I saying? I don't want this! He can just stop whenever he wants to! It's not like I have a say-so in this kind of situation anyway!'_

Fortunately for Jay this 'situation' didn't get to last much longer. A particularly loud cry from the monster in fromt of them made that painfully clear. Both Moses and Jay turned away from each other, as if now realizing what they were about to do…or at least _Moses_ had just realized what he had almost done.

Jay had already known what he had been trying to do.

"Crap, an' here I thought I had gone an' killed 'em." The redhead muttered, drawing a spear and standing in front of Jay.

"I can fight too, you know." The raven haired boy stated, glaring at the bandit's back, his face screwed up in annoyance. He hated being treated like he was a weakling, like he needed to be protected…even if he really _did_ need to be protected.

And the fact that the _bandit_ was the one who was treating him like this made him even more annoyed.

Moses turned his head to his side, looking back over his shoulder, "Can ya even stand?" Jay blinked, surprised by the sound of his voice. He _actually_ sounded serious.

"Of course I can stand—" Jay did just that, though his legs were shaking badly.

"Sit back down Jay an' let your big brother take care o' this." Moses threw yet another spear at the massive monster's head, causing it to fall to the ground. Moses then turned to face Jay, who was still standing, but was breathing hard. His hands were crossed over his chest.

Moses grinned, "So? I told ya I could take care o' it!"

"Hmm…you did a well enough job…"

'_But you definitely have gotten better.' _He thought to himself, _'Not that I'd ever say that to his face though…' _

------------------------------

And there's the end of Chapter Two. Okay, yeah, I said that this chapter was hard. But the hardest part about it was figuring out where to cut it off. I got so wrapped up in writing it, that before I realized it I had written 21 pages. So this one's 10-11 pages, and the next chapter'll be a little shorter (since nothing ever turns out as long when you type it on a computer). Also thank you VERY MUCH to those who reviewed! It makes me really happy that someone likes what I wrote! Like I said in the last chapter, CC's welcome, Reviews are loved, and they equal faster updates--so R&R please!


	3. To Werites Beacon

**Nightmare: Chapter Three**

**By Harmony283**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own ToL or any of it's characters. I do, however, own the two OC's that appear in this fanfic, that and the plot. So please don't steal them.

**Authors Note:** And here's chapter 3 of Nightmare! It's a bit late...but that's mostly because I had to rewrite the beginning a few times. -bows head- sorry and thank you fo rthose who waited patiently for this chapter to come out. Now then, in the last chapter it left off with Jay and Moses after a monster attacked them, and this chapter shows exactly what happened afterwards. Also, you finally figure out why the mysterious Ferines woman and the boy Feral are coming to the Legacy.

**Warning: **same as the last chapters

---------------------------------------------

**With Moses & Jay, somewhere in the Secret Pathway: **

Thunder could be heard echoing throughout the underground pathway even though possibly miles of rock stood between them. The pathway was dry, but it was unbelievably dark. And it smelt really bad.

Really, _really_ bad, like something dying.

"Are ya sure we're goin' the right way Jay?" Moses asked, "I can't see nothin'…"

Jay let out a sigh, "Yes I'm sure we're going the right way. You should be lucky we're out of the rain and wind. Or are you afraid of the dark as well?"

"I-I ain't afraid of no dark! I'm just sayin' if a monster attacks or something we won't be able to see it."

Jay sighed again, "Then the most you can do is rely on your animal instincts."

"But I ain't no animal…"

"Well you certainly act like one." Jay stated with a huff.

"An' now yer just bein' _mean_."

"You honestly expect me to be _nice_? Even after--" he stopped his sentence midway through and, even though Moses couldn't see a foot in front of him, he could tell Jay was embarrassed.

"An' now yer actin' all embarrassed. What'd I do?"

"You should know, stupid bandit." Jay muttered, quickening his pace, "I think I see some light up ahead. We must be getting close to the old Oresoren village."

Moses blinked a few times, trying to adjust his eyes to the inky darkness of their surroundings, "But I don't see nuthin'." He muttered, "An' I think yer just embarrassed!"

Jay let out a long sigh, his footsteps quickening, "I am NOT embarrassed."

"Then why're ya tryin' so hard ta get away from me?"

Jay stopped and turned around. Surprisingly enough, Moses had somehow kept up with him.

How could he tell?

Because he bumped his head against the bandits chest and staggered backwards, "Stupid Bandit! Keep your distance!" he turned away, trying to force the blush on his cheeks to go away, but he was failing.

"Jay…"

The younger boy flinched, "What?"

Moses shook his head, "If what…if what happened didn't mean nuthin' to ya, then why're you so embarrassed?"

Jay started walking, "Because it—no, never mind. Let's hurry."

A thunder crash from outside the passageway made both boys flinch as the ground shook beneath their feet.

"Jay, somethin' tells me this ain't no usual thunderstorm."

"And that's why we need to get to Werites Beacon as fast as we can!" Jay turned back to face Moses, who had stopped in his tracks, "What don't you get about that?" he rolled his eyes, "You know this is the perfect time for the ducts not to be working."

Moses shook his head, "You're actin' like it's my fault."

"But it isn't. It's not your fault, and I'm not blaming you."

"Then stop actin' like bein' stuck with me is the worst thing in tha world. I may be a bandit but that don't mean I ain't got no feelin's."

Jay shook his head, _'Well I guess he _is_ right about that. Not that talking about feelings will get us anywhere.' _He let out a sigh and turned back around, continuing down the dark pathway.

A few minutes later and, just like Jay had said, they arrived at the entrance of the old Oresoren village.

"Here we are." Jay stated, a hint of relief in his voice, "Now it should only be a bit farther until we're out of here."

"But Jay…those cliffs are right outside o' here…an' what if a monster attacks us?" he tried hard not to make his voice shake, but Jay could clearly hear the nervousness it held.

"The paths are wide enough for us to travel down without worrying about falling off. But then again, I don't even _want_ to know why monsters would be out in a storm like this. It's not normal."

"Well it could happen." "And you're just being overly cautious."

Moses shook his head, "Maybe we shoulda stayed in that cottage."

Jay snapped his head around, "What makes you think that that run down excuse for a home is still _there_? It was right on the edge of a cliff, you idiot! It was so unstable that if a strong gust of wind came it would most likely take the whole roof off."

Moses shook his head, shrugging his shoulders, "I was just sayin', ya don't have ta go and bite my head off."

"I am not biting anyone's head off." Jay snapped back before walking to the exit of the town. He paused and took a deep breath, _'No…maybe I am. Maybe Moses is right, I _am_ snapping at him for no apparent reason.' _He glanced back over his shoulder at the redhead, who just cocked his head to the side.

'_No, I should be mad at him. He…he tried to kiss me after all. The only other person who would do that would be So—no," _Jay shook his head, raising one of his hands to press against his forehead, "I can't think about that."

"Can't think about what?"

Jay jumped, "N-nothing. It's nothing. Let's get going."

Moses crossed his arms over his chest, watching as Jay quickly headed off down the tunnel, "He don't sound like it's just _nothin'_." He let out a sigh and followed the younger boy down the dark tunnel towards the exit.

What felt like an eternity later, the two were standing at the exit of the tunnel, staring out into nearly blinding rain. Without hesitation Jay headed out into it, getting soaked within minutes, a down the jagged walkway. He turned breifly around when he noticed Moses wasn't following, a scowl on his face.

"Well?"

"I ain't goin' out in the rain if it's this bad."

Jay rolled his eyes, "Fine then, stay there. Don't blame me when a monster comes here to seek shelter and you get eaten." He smirked at Moses' distraught expression before hurrying off down the path once more.

"W-wait Jay!" the bandit cried out, running after him, and slipping in the mud. He slid down the slightly slanted ground until he stopped. He rubbed his forehead and looked down at his body, which was now covered in mud, "Ugh."

"You are an idiot." Jay stated bitterly, looking down at him as he walked up to stand next to him. He turned to look at the edge of the cliff. He walked over to it and looked down at the ground below, "Be thankful you hadn't slid any further. Or else you would have been a stupid unconscious bandit…and then I really would have to leave you here."

Moses scowled, "Stop callin' me stupid. Especially when I ain't."

Jay turned back to face him, a smirk on his face, "Oh really? And what makes you think you're _smart_?"

Moses shook his head, "It ain't all about smarts y'know. It's--"

Suddenly a high pitched screech pierced through the air, making both teens flinch. They looked around frantically for the source of the noise, when suddenly, and rather abruptly, a gust of wind buffeted them back…

Or at least it did for Moses, who fell backwards back into the mud. Jay, because of his size, got pushed back even more…and unfortunately that was over the cliff. He staggered, trying to regain his balance on the short ledge that he was standing on, but it wasn't good enough. He fell backwards, strands of his hair sticking to the sides of his face while other waved carelessly in the wind.

He didn't even get a chance to scream before his hand grabbed onto something firm, but not altogether solid. He blinked a few times, trying to focus what had happened, and realized that during his fall he had grabbed onto the remnants of a small tree--more like tree _branch_--that was sticking out from the rocky surface.

"Jay! You okay?!" Moses called out from somewhere above him. But when he tried to look up, all he saw was rain and mud, both of which sprinkled down on his face and blurred his vision.

"M-Moses…?"

"Don't you worry Jay!" the redhead called, though he sounded panicked, "I'll be right there!"

The ex-ninja heard the faint sound of squishing dirt and knew that Moses had gotten up. At first he thought that Moses would actually jump over the ledge. But a loud howl proved that he was taking the actual pathway down.

_'Now all I have to do is wait for him to get below me.' _Jay let out a sigh, _'but it's still a long fall…even assuming the branch doesn't break.' _

About a split second after he had that thought another gust of wind battered him around similarly to that of a balloon, or other easily floating object. He felt his hand loosening on its grip around the tree branch and flinched.

_'Looks like I'm going to be falling a lot sooner than I thought.' _

He felt the familiar sinking of his stomach as his grip finally gave out and he fell through the air, continuing his descent towards the ground. He didn't think Moses would make it. And in all honesty, Moses had a less likely chance of making it to him than the raven-haired boy would have liked.

But somehow, instead of hitting the hard ground, he felt slick arms catch him…and then there was a loud 'thud'.

"Wha…?"

"Urgh…jeez…you sure ain't light when yer fallin' from that high up."

"M-Moses…?" relief flooded through Jay's veins and, if he had had any less amount of pride, or will power, than he did, he would have thrown his arms around the older teen and hugged him.

"It's okay lil' bro I got ya." Moses cooed, only to find that Jay had passed out in his arms. He smiled and gently brushed back a few strands of the boy's hair, both from his forehead, and from his neck. Though, to his complete horror, there on the side Jay's neck, was a bruise about the size of his fist.

"Wha--?"

The screeching of a monster rang out through the air, causing Moses to flinch, "Aww hell, I can't stay here any longer." He took one last look at the unconscious boy in his arms before shifting him to piggyback style, and running off through the rain towards Werites Beacon.

He nearly cried out in joy when the city came into view. That led to him nearly tripping and falling into the mud, but thankfully he didn't. He looked down at the still unconscious boy in his arms, his eyes serious.

_'Why'd he pass out? He ain't afraid of heights. Or maybe he's just tired. Yeah that's gotta be it.' _He paused, pulling aside some of the ex-ninjas raven locks, staring once more at the bruise there, "But that…that didn't come from just anythin'. I wonder if he got anymore bruises on 'im that he's hidin'." His grip tightened on the boy, "Dammit Jay, why don't ya ever say nuthin?"

Of course he knew that he wouldn't answer so he sighed and shifted so that Jay was now riding piggyback style on his back. Thankfully he got his hands to latch onto each other around his neck so that he wouldn't fall off. With that done he ran towards the blinking lights of the town.

Before he realized it he was in front of the hospital. He took a deep breath, hearing muffled voices inside, before kicking the door open and walking through.

---------------------------

**Meanwhile on the Boat headed towards the Legacy:**

"agh! Watch out!" Feral cried out, gripping at the railing in front of him tightly, watching in horror as the waves rose and fell rapidly, crashing into the sides of the ship and causing it to sway.

"Y-Yes I believe I should…go back to the cabin now." The cloaked woman stated, turning her back to the young knight and walking down deck, still holding protectively onto the railing.

"Miss! Ah, Miss wait for me!" Feral cried out once more, only to trip and fall flat on his face, sliding as the boat swayed.

The woman stopped and smiled, "You don't have to be so formal."

"But…" the silver haired boy sat up, rubbing his nose, "Ghh, that hurt…"

"Here, let me help you, and you can call me by my name." The woman reached down holding out a hand for the boy to hold. Feral took the hand, turning away in embarrassment.

"Yes ma'am…" he muttered, a flush of red tinting his cheeks as he tried to keep his gaze out to the turmoil of the ocean.

"That's not my name."

"Err," Feral paused, bowing his head, "I'm sorry…Jasmine."

The woman smiled, "Good, that's better."

The two then walked off the deck and towards their shared room. When they reached it, Feral held open the door and Jasmine passed through it. With the door shut Feral went and sat on the far side bed watching as the older woman sat on hers.

"Miss, ah, I mean Jasmine, um…do you…do you really believe you'll find the person you're looking for?" The question was blunt and Feral flinched, expecting a cold answer in return.

But that's not what he got. Instead he heard Jasmine let out a heavy sigh. He turned to face her and watched as she undid the clasp that held her cloak together, letting it fall from her shoulders. He watched as she untied the ribbon from her hair, letting it fall from its makeshift bun down to her mid back. She placed the ribbon casually on the desk that separated her bed from Ferals.

Finally she shook her head and spoke, "I can only hope. But this is the _only_ place I haven't checked."

Feral nodded his head, leaning against the wall, looking up at the ceiling, "Yeah but how are you going to find the right person? I mean, yeah the Legacy is a ship but it's a _big_ ship. And, well, you have your other job to do first, don't you?" he looked over at her, his silver gaze curious.

Jasmine sighed once more, "Yes I know. As ferines and because my mother was who she was, I have to meet with the merines and…" she ran her fingers through her hair, taking a strand and twisting it around her finger, "discuss why the ferines on the mainland are so displeased."

Feral nodded his head, "But I'm sure that when you meet the Merines, that she will understand. I'm sure she's had to go through much of that as it is." He sighed, "But it's sad, being ostracized….shunned…by your own people."

Jasmine nodded her head, "Yes. That's why I have to find him." She turned and opened one of the draws of the desk, "because he may be going through the same things as we are." She pulled out a single faded photograph that looked a little over fifteen years old. She smiled sadly at it, her blue eyes studying each person present. There was herself, standing in the front with a smile on her face. Then there was her mother with her long flowing blonde hair standing right behind her. She would have been touching her shoulder, or displaying some other form of affection, but her arms were full with a bundle of blankets wrapped tightly around a sleeping baby.

There was a man standing next to them, clad in a regular tunic with britches as boots. He was wearing a kind of helmet, which hid his head almost entirely, hiding his hair while shading his eyes. He was smiling and looking at the child in the womans arms.

Jasmine sighed once more, tracing her fingers lightly over the photograph, "I have to find them for their sakes. Because of everything they worked for."

"You know," Feral stood up, walking across the sort distance between their beds and sitting down next to her, "I wasn't just talking about just the Merines either. I was talking about you as well." he touched her arm, "And your family." His eyes were gentle and Jasmine couldn't help but smile.

"Yes…out of everyone, my parents--my mother--had it the worst. All because she married an Orerines.

Feral just nodded his head, "Yeah and he…" he looked down at the picture, a sad look in his eyes.

"I just hope he found someone to take care of him." She paused, now taking in a shaky breath, "That…that nothing bad happened to him."

Feral shook his head, "I doubt anything bad happened to him. But who knows." He looked back up at the ceiling his expression emotionless, "this world is getting crueler. All because of change."

Jasmine nodded her head, "Yes…I wish there was another way."

Feral looked back at her, "Well you know as they say sacrifices must be made to make a change. People will die no matter what. Those who oppose this new rule of living together," he shook his head, "As sick as it sounds things do have to get worse before they get better."

"I understand what you mean, but I really wish violence wasn't the answer." She placed a hand on Feral's shoulder, "surely they tell you that during your training?"

Feral sank away from her touch, a sad smile on his face, "Well yes they do. But they also tell you that killing those who oppose you is necessary for bringing about what you want, or what's good for the majority."

Jasmine blinked a few times, slightly shocked, "What…?"

"You have to learn to kill if you want to become a knight." Feral stated bluntly, "But I don't like it at all. I mean, I can understand if we do it to protect people but to bring about what we want is a bit selfish. And to be honest how can one think about the majority? How can one know what the majority wants?"

Jasmine nodded her head, "I-I see."

"It's the same with this whole living together thing for the Ferines." Feral leaned back and waved his hand in the air casually, "The best thing for you would be to try and live in harmony with the Orerines. That's your best chance of survival. But the _majority_ wants to stay as far away from the 'filthy Orerines' as they can. They hate them so much that they're willing to outcast their _leader_ even though she's _proven_ that Orerines aren't as bad as they think." He let out an annoyed sigh, "They're listening but they aren't exactly seeing. They don't think it can work and yet they see that it can."

_'I understand everything he's saying.' _Jasmine thought, _'But he's--'_

"And yeah the Orerines need to change. We're just as bad as the Ferines. Except we're techincally more of the majority than anything else. I'm pretty sure it'll take a while for us to get used to it…but a leader of one of the empires agreed to try. And everyone from there is _trying_ to listen to her."

"I understand." Jasmine stated with a nod.

"You may understand, and yes you're proof that Orerines and Ferines can get along…" Feral let out a long sigh, "I'm sorry."

Jasmine blinked, "What?"

"I'm sorry. I went on a rant…sort of. And I'm sorry."

Jasmine shook her head, "No, no…it's fine. Your views and remarks are very tactful, you really have done research on it."

Feral grinned, "Well when our trainer assigned me this job one of the things he told me to do was do research on you, and I did." He was practically beaming, "and I learned a lot."

Jasmine nodded her head, "That's good. You're a quick learner." She look down at her lap, "But that still makes me wonder…what will the Merines be like? I'm nervous, but from what some people have said--and what was written in Maurite's letter, she's an extremely sweet person."

"Then you have nothing to worry about." Feral stated, his grin widening, "Besides it'll be fun to get to be on the Legacy."

Jasmine looked over at him, "Yes…fun…"

_'Then why do I feel so worried? Like something bad is going to happen?_

----------------------------------------

…Well that definitely didn't go as planned. First I had to rewrite the beginning (everything with Moses and Jay) because of he weird place I cut off at during the last chapter. And now that I put it together with everything else it's out of order. Ah, well, at least the little page break things are working now. I know it was confusing for the last 2 chapters since for some reason it doesn't work for those...-cough-well anyway, thank you so much for those who reviewed, and R&R! More reviews equal a faster update. and hopefully I won't have to rewrite the beginning of chapters anymore (it takes a lot longer than I originally thought).


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